A wide variety of operating room systems are known for performing both diagnostic and surgical procedures. In particular, systems have been provided that allow a surgeon to perform a procedure with a wide variety of medical and operating room equipment. This equipment ranges from visual imaging tools (e.g., endoscopes, cameras, etc.) and systems, to medical devices (e.g. tools for cutting, grasping, extracting, irrigating, etc.), and other operating room equipment.
In particular, operating room visualization equipment has been provided that allows for visualization of the interior of an organ or joint while a surgeon is conducting a procedure. These visualization systems allow for a surgeon to view, typically on a surgical monitor placed either in or adjacent to the sterile environment, a location inside the body where the procedure is being performed. These systems have further allowed for the recording of still pictures and video recordings of the area and procedure. Not only have the surgeon and those in the operating room been able to view the surgical site on the surgical monitor, but systems have further provided for the transfer of visualization information via a network connection to remote locations from the operating room. In this manner, individuals have had the capacity to view a surgical procedure from different locations. This has proved to be a very helpful educational tool (e.g. medical students can view a medical procedure from a class room) and has allowed for specialists to view the surgical procedure from a distance to provide expert analysis and input to the surgeon.
Touchscreen control interfaces have also been in wide use in the industry for a number of years for the control of medical equipment including the routing of medical visualization data. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,069,420 to Roderick Plummer (the Plummer patent), discloses a system that allows for the identification of video collecting sources and the video destinations such that the surgeon need only select the icon on the touchscreen corresponding to the video input device and select the icon on the touchscreen corresponding to the desired destination and the video is routed to the desired destination.
The Plummer patent was a very large leap over prior art systems in that it allowed the surgeon control via a very user friendly interface, to route medical imaging data by simply selecting the icon on the touch screen.
However, while audio-visual capabilities have continued to be developed and improved, control of the remaining operating room equipment has lagged behind. For example, diverse medical equipment (e.g., medical equipment manufactured by different companies and different manufacturers) continues to be the norm in operating room environments. Some of this equipment, in particular, the visualization equipment, has been integrated with and may be controlled by commands input into a touchscreen controller. For example, selection of video source and destination has been provided on a touchscreen controller as discussed in connection with the Plummer patent, as has the ability for teleconferencing. However, typically, control of many of the other various equipment is required to be performed by an individual (e.g., a nurse or other medical personnel) in the operating room to adjust various pieces of equipment that are positioned outside of the sterile environment acting on instruction from the surgeon. These diverse pieces of medical equipment have not been integrated into the touchscreen control because of the diverse signals and signal formats, control formats and lack of network connections on the diverse equipment manufactured by different companies.
Other systems have provided for integrated control systems that have provided limited control of medical equipment in an operating room. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,688 to James Bauer et al. (the Bauer et al. patent) teaches a networked system for command and control of operating room equipment in the sterile environment. The Bauer et al. patent also teaches that a surgeon's preset preferences may be uploaded such that the system may be pre-adjusted (within defined parameters) to a surgeon's preferred settings thereby saving time and reducing possible errors in the setting of equipment.
Again, however, while the Bauer et al. patent was a great leap forward in technology in the control of various medical devices, more and more diverse pieces of equipment are being introduced to the operating room that must be controlled. Laparoscopic surgery is a good example where one relatively large array of devices and equipment may be used including: cutting devices (laser, bi-polar, etc.), insufflation devices, suction devices, pumps, irrigation devices and cell collection and storage devices. Each piece of equipment has specific and unique operating parameters that, if not operated uniformly, can lead to serious negative consequences for a patient. While the Plummer patent has provided for some integrated control via an interface positioned in the sterile environment, more and more diverse equipment is being added to the operating room environment. It is important that this new and diverse equipment be put under direct control of the surgeon to avoid any mis-adjustments due to miscommunication or error on the part of the personnel adjusting the equipment.
The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems discussed above.